3rd Global Interfaith Leadership Lecture

"Humanistic Religion and Community Building in a Pursuit of a Better World"

by Venerable Dr Juewei, Director of the Humanistic Buddhism Centre, Nan Tien Institute, Australia

Moderated by Professor Yaacob Ibrahim, Advisor to CIFU

In collaboration with the Institute of Chinese Buddhism.

SYNOPSIS:

In a world engulfed in social distancing, masking, border restrictions, and other pandemic measures, people are paradoxically also reflecting on what it means to be human. Not only are the humanistic religions offered an opportunity to rise to the fore but also to redefine themselves to meet contemporary needs. One of those needs is that of community building, for the answer to the nature of humanity comes from understanding ourselves in communities and not as individuals. Complementing the previous two lectures in this Series on religious diversity, this lecture introduces East Asian and indigenous wisdom, with special reference to the coming together of people in loving kindness and compassion. Reference will be made to an example today that can serve as a model for bringing the best of humanity together again.

BIODATA

Venerable Dr Juewei is Director of the Humanistic Buddhism Centre; Head of Programme for Humanistic Buddhism; and Senior Lecturer at Nan Tien Institute in Australia. She teaches subjects related to Humanistic Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism, supported by research and development that revolve around acculturation and application of Buddhist teachings in the modern world. She holds a PhD in Religious Studies, Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies, Master in Business Administration and Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering. She is author of Parading the Buddha: Localising Buddha's Birthday Celebrations (2013).